Sunday, June 30, 2013

America is not a magazine, though we publish one; nor is America a Web site, though we have one of those as well. America is a Catholic ministry, and both of those words— Catholic and ministry—are carefully chosen. We are not journalists who happen to be Catholic, but Catholics who happen to be journalists. That is not to denigrate or neglect the good and valuable work that the non-Catholics on our staff do every day; it is simply to express our fundamental commitment.

America does not labor in the service of mere speech, words with a lower case w; nor are we in pursuit of some idealized, dreamy, Platonic-style discourse. Rather, we labor in the service of the Word with an upper case W, the self-communication of God in Jesus Christ. Admittedly, these words “might sound a bit pretentious,” as Father Davis once said about a similar statement of his own. Journals of opinion are constantly at risk of taking themselves too seriously.

America is no exception here either; we freely admit that some of our opinions can have a preachy, eat-your-peas quality. Still, it is nonetheless true that America’s fundamental commitment is to God in Jesus Christ. This must be so if we are to fulfill the purpose envisioned for America by its founders: to furnish “a discussion of actual questions and a study of vital problems from the Christian viewpoint.”

Saturday, June 29, 2013

The Church as institution and structure is the sign that the Church does not originate from an arbitrary and self-willed congregation of men, as if all those individuals who as such had been spoken to by God had subsequently formed themselves into a union called Church. No, the Church is institution because it is from above. It is the recipient, established by Jesus, of the word of God’s revelation, which is directed to it as the ‘bride of Christ,’ whose children, individual men and women, then experience this revelation as ‘children’ of this bride. The Church does not exist because men believe and associate with one another as believers. Rather, because there is such a thing as the structured Church founded by Christ, men know where they can encounter the God who reveals Him self in Jesus Christ. Only that man is a true believer who accepts this Church of Jesus Christ and is willing to accept in it and through its preaching that which God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ (In Toward a Theology of Christian Faith – Readings in Theology, P. J. Kenedy & Sons, New York, 1968. p. 124).

According to the late Father Malachi Martin, perfect possession is the state in which a human being has lost complete control to a spiritual being. As a Jesuit diplomat and scholar, Father Martin served three popes and taught at prestigious universities. As a veteran of thousands of exorcisms, Father Martin’s observations from his direct experiences are worth noting:

There is a difference between oppression and possession.

In his lifetime, he saw an 800 percent increase in possessions.

Fifty percent of people diagnosed as insane are actually possessed.

Exorcisms were only performed on request and after medical and psychiatric evaluation.

The possessed have all been found to have created an opening for evil to enter.

Playing with a Ouija board was one of the most common conduits for demonic entry.

Channelling was another activity that opened the practitioner to demonic influences.

Cases of perfect possession are hopeless, there is no deliverance for them.

The purpose of the demonic is to destroy the possessed.

The overriding energy of the demonic is hatred that defies language.

More than one psychiatrist left his profession after witnessing an exorcism.

Many atheists converted to Christianity after witnessing an exorcism.

Many participants in exorcism die in the months following the ritual.

Exorcisms can last a few hours to a few months.

The exorcised spirits are not destroyed, they are simply evicted from the possessed.

Demonic spirits are all around us at all times.

The more I learn about the psychopath, the more similarities I see
with the possessed. Before man came up with the psychological
disciplines, abusive and violent people, were considered possessed and
treated accordingly. As many people on the planet have been guided into ever more secular
societies, evil has, unsurprisingly prevailed with unprecedented
success.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Greetings all, from Borgo Santo Spirito 4: The Curia of the Society of Jesus. Already I am following in the footsteps of the great Hilaire Belloc who broke every vow he made on day 2 of his Roman pilgrimage. Instead of giving you a daily update, I am giving you an update a bit more than halfway through the trip. I have managed to remember your intentions and all of you however–and that ought to count for something!

This has been a busy week and I am spending most of my time examining the Acta of the Diocesean Process of the Cause for Canonization for the Servant of God Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J. The effort has been undertaken with the collaboration of Fr. Marc Lindeijer, S.J. Fr. Lindeijer, a Dutch Jesuit and brilliant historian, is shepherding the Cause through the process with Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

He and I have been working together on the Ciszek Cause for the past year and a half. The Father General and the Curial Jesuits have been very kind and hospitable to me in my stay. Indeed, I am staying in the Canisio–the Jesuit Residence attached to the Curia which houses some other illustrious names such as Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. and Fr. Peter Gumpel, S.J. The work has been very rewarding and leaves little time for exploring Rome during the day. In addition to spending some time with Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., the Father General of the Society, I was privileged to spend time with some of the other illustrissimi of Rome. On Tuesday, I was invited to dinner with Dutch journalist Lidy Peters. She hosted an interesting dinner party which included, two Jesuits, myself, an attache to the Dutch Embassy, a French Teacher and a deacon. 75% of the mealtime conversation was either in Dutch or French. Needless to say, I drank more wine and had an extra several helpings of the pasta and clams. (In addition, I now have some material for a forthcoming spy novel that I plan to write that involves a Latin teacher caught in a web of intrigue with Dutch-speaking terrorists who are the political progeny of Cavour and Garibaldi.) On Wednesday,

I had the honor of having a private audience with Raymond Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. Fr. Lindeijer and I visited him at the offices of the Apostolic Signatura at Palazzo della Cancellaria. We spoke of a number of items, including the Bellarmine Forum and the Causes for Canonization of Frs. Walter Ciszek and John Hardon.

"They are profoundly wrong and wrong-headed decisions," he stated in
e-mail correspondence this "And it is deeply depressing that
in each decision a Catholic justice was the swing vote.""There is a twofold problem that underlies both decisions," he wrote.
"1) That issues of such fundamental significance for society should be
decided by a single, unelected person. That’s what happens when there is
a 5-4 decision. 2) That the judges of the Supreme Court who ought to
be exemplary for their wisdom as well as their technical knowledge of
the law can be completely blind to the obvious: this is not an issue of
equality at all. Same sex unions are not in any way equivalent to
marital unions."

Monday, June 24, 2013

The blood-splattered shirt of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination in 1914 triggered the outbreak of the first world war, is to go on display in Vienna on Friday. The once white garment, now stained a dark brown, is to be exhibited in a glass vitrine at the Austrian Military Museum (HGM), which holds more artifacts related to the assassination than any other institute. "This is the undershirt he was wearing beneath his uniform, directly on his skin, so it's much more blood-soaked than the uniform he wore over it," said Thomas Reichl, of the museum. The shirt was in the possession of the Jesuit religious order until 2004 when it was discovered gathering dust in their archives and passed to the HGM on permanent loan. Because of its delicate condition it is only rarely put on public display. This time it will be viewable for 12 days in a dimly lit room.

Traveling in an open-top car on 28 June 1914, the archduke was shot at by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip, a Serb who sought unity for the Yugoslav states and their independence from Austria-Hungary. He was able to take close aim at the archduke's car when it stalled close to the Latin Bridge. The archduke and his wife, who flung herself on her husband to try to protect him and was shot in the abdomen, both died of their injuries shortly afterwards.

Sister Rosemary Stets dropped off the box full of letters, sealed shut and postmarked to Europe, at the post office just before Christmas. Bound for Rome, the more than 150 letters weren't just any old correspondence. Rather, they were ones the Bernardine Franciscan nun had held onto for decades, some dating to the 1960s, to the first years of a relationship with her longtime friend and spiritual adviser, the Rev. Walter J. Ciszek. From Reading, they were bound for a postulator in Rome, whom the Catholic Church had appointed to investigate the life of Ciszek as part of the canonization process."I sent it special certified mail - all kinds of guarantees," Stets said of the box. "And he was waiting on the other side." Several days later, it hadn't arrived. Stets was beginning to worry. "He said, 'It's Christmas, everyone is sending packages,' " she recalled. By the middle of February, the package remained MIA."One day, I got a call from the desk (at the convent) saying that I had a package there," she said. "It's my box and the print on the label was so blurred you couldn't even read it. How it got there and came back was a miracle." Stets reflected on Ciszek's life Sunday afternoon during a presentation before about 45 people at the McGlinn Conference Center on the Bernardine Franciscan sisters' Motherhouse complex, near the Alvernia University campus in Reading.

"He was an exceptional person, a very humble man," she said of the celebrated Jesuit priest, a native of Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, who was held for 15 years in a Soviet prison. "He thought nothing of his talents and gifts. He'd say, 'It's never about you, it's about how God uses you.' "

Then 24, Stets began a correspondence with Ciszek in 1969 that would last until his death in 1984. "My young adult life was very much entwined with his life and his guidance of my life," she said. "At some point in my life, I was going to give up. I didn't feel like I fit. And he walked me through that. After I met him and began to visit him and made a few retreats with him, our relationship deepened." She recalled with a laugh the personal side of Ciszek, whom she said would pray in his Bronx apartment with New York Yankees games on in the background. "What he taught me is no one is born holy," she said. "We become holy from a lifetime of conversion. Those of us who knew him know whole-heartedly that he is a saint."

Many consider the 1973 "The Exorcist"the scariest movie of all time....If the mere thought of the famousflick gives you the chills, consider this: It's directly based on a true incident that happened in St. Louis. The real story that inspired the famous book and movie happened in 1949. It began in Maryland, ended in St. Louis, and involved several Jesuits from Saint Louis University. Father Raymond J. Bishop, S.J. kept a day-by-day account of the exorcism. Click here to read the diary. When Pat McGonigle's series on the history of the exorcism in St. Louis was airing last fall, he received a phone call from a woman that he can't forget. Read Pat's blog about what the woman said that still gives him chills months later.

Link (here) to KDSK channel 5 out of St. Louis to watch the video interview.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Friday, June 21, 2013

Christians do not pray to a remote “cosmic god”but to the God who is our Father, Pope Francis said at Mass this morning.

Commenting on today’s Gospel reading,
in which Jesus teaches his disciples to pray the Our Father, the Pope
said: “To whom do I pray? To the Almighty God? He is too far off. Ah, I
can’t hear Him. Neither did Jesus. To whom do I pray? To a cosmic god?
That’s quite normal these days, is it not?… praying to the cosmic god,
right? This polytheistic model that comes from a rather light culture.

“You must pray to the Father! It is a strong word, ‘Father’. You must
pray to Him who generated you, who gave you life. Not to everyone:
everyone is too anonymous. To you. To me. To the person who accompanies
you on your journey: He knows all about your life. Everything: what is
good and what is not so good. He knows everything. If we do not start
the prayer with this word, not just with our lips but with our hearts,
we cannot pray in a Christian language.”

“We have a Father. Very close to us, eh! Who embraces us… All
these worries, concerns that we have, let’s leave them to the Father,
He knows what we need. But, Father, what? My father? No: our
Father! Because I am not an only child, none of us are, and if I cannot
be a brother, I can hardly become a child of the Father, because He is a
Father to all. Mine, sure, but also of others, of my brothers. And if I
am not at peace with my brothers, I cannot say ‘Father’ to Him.”

He reminded the congregation in the chapel of his residence, the
Domus Sanctae Marthae, that Jesus taught that unless we forgive others
God the Father will not forgive us. “No, you cannot pray with enemies in your heart, with brothers and
enemies in your heart, you cannot pray,” he said. “This is difficult,
yes, it is difficult, not easy. ‘Father, I cannot say Father, I cannot.’
It’s true, I understand. ‘I cannot say ‘our’, because he did this to me
and this…’ I cannot! ‘They must go to hell, right? I will have nothing
to do with them.’ It’s true, it is not easy. But Jesus has promised us
the Holy Spirit: it is He who teaches us, from within, from the heart,
how to say ‘Father’ and how to say ‘our’. Today we ask the Holy Spirit
to teach us to say ‘Father’ and to be able to say ‘our’, and thus make
peace with all our enemies.”

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Scientists believe that the last time concentrations were this high was
during the Pliocene epoch, around 3 temperatures were 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer
than they currently are and sea levels were nearly 80 feet higher than
they are today. Since that period, scientists believe that naturally
changing ocean patterns may have contributed to the significant decrease
of atmospheric CO2, and a subsequent decline in global temperatures.
Whatever the cause of this CO2 reduction, atmospheric CO2 concentrations
stabilized at around 280 parts per million around 10,000 years ago, and
lasted until the dawn of the industrial revolution in the 1800s—the
time when humanity began releasing unprecedented amounts of greenhouse
gases as fossil fuels became the predominant form of energy.

Georgetown University’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice held auditions for the vile play Vagina Monologues last week, according to the university’s law school website. The auditions took place in the Gewirz Student Center on campus.
The obscene play distorts human sexuality by placing sinful activity
in a favorable light, including lesbian activity and masturbation. It
seems to take delight in reducing sexuality to the satiation of selfish
pleasure and even declares a lesbian rape of a teenage girl her
“salvation” which raised her into “a kind of heaven.”
The Cardinal Newman Society reported last year that nine Catholic
colleges and universities hosted the depraved play in 2012. That was the
lowest number of Catholic institutions to host the play in a single
year. That was down from a high of 32 in 2003.
- See more at:
http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/1892/G%E2%80%99Town-Law-Students-for-Reproductive-Justice-Holding-Auditions-for-%E2%80%9CVagina-Monologues%E2%80%9D.aspx#sthash.ddo3xk8s.dpuf

Georgetown University’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice held auditions for the vile play Vagina Monologues last week, according to the university’s law school website. The auditions took place in the Gewirz Student Center on campus.
The obscene play distorts human sexuality by placing sinful activity
in a favorable light, including lesbian activity and masturbation. It
seems to take delight in reducing sexuality to the satiation of selfish
pleasure and even declares a lesbian rape of a teenage girl her
“salvation” which raised her into “a kind of heaven.”
The Cardinal Newman Society reported last year that nine Catholic
colleges and universities hosted the depraved play in 2012. That was the
lowest number of Catholic institutions to host the play in a single
year. That was down from a high of 32 in 2003.
- See more at:
http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/1892/G%E2%80%99Town-Law-Students-for-Reproductive-Justice-Holding-Auditions-for-%E2%80%9CVagina-Monologues%E2%80%9D.aspx#sthash.ddo3xk8s.dpuf

Georgetown University’s Law Students for Reproductive Justice held auditions for the vile play Vagina Monologues last week, according to the university’s law school website. The auditions took place in the Gewirz Student Center on campus.
The obscene play distorts human sexuality by placing sinful activity
in a favorable light, including lesbian activity and masturbation. It
seems to take delight in reducing sexuality to the satiation of selfish
pleasure and even declares a lesbian rape of a teenage girl her
“salvation” which raised her into “a kind of heaven.”
The Cardinal Newman Society reported last year that nine Catholic
colleges and universities hosted the depraved play in 2012. That was the
lowest number of Catholic institutions to host the play in a single
year. That was down from a high of 32 in 2003.
- See more at:
http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/1892/G%E2%80%99Town-Law-Students-for-Reproductive-Justice-Holding-Auditions-for-%E2%80%9CVagina-Monologues%E2%80%9D.aspx#sthash.ddo3xk8s.dpuf

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The University of San Francisco is a private Jesuit university that was
founded in 1855. Even though it's not ranked very high at #106 on US
News' list, students are drawn here for its great location right near
the Golden Gate Bridge and for its small class sizes. The average
mid-career salary is high at $92,400.

This week from June 20-27, a retreat for men is being held in Spain. The
retreat will be led by two Jesuit priests. It will be held in “…a
self-catering retreat/holiday home run by the Jesuits which we will have
to ourselves.” A description of the retreat may be found at spanishretreats.org.uk. It is titled Liberation. A Retreat for Men in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain, June 20-27., led by Father Donal Godfrey, S. J.“Donal is an Irish Jesuit priest who has been working for the last
six years in California, USA. He is currently working as a chaplain in
the Jesuit University of San Francisco; a job which involves training
the Chaplaincy Team in Ignatian Spirituality. Donal is a regular
celebrant at the popular Castro Church of Most Holy Redeemer and has
been heard leading a service there on Radio 4′s Sunday Service. He has
written a book on the parish ministry, Gays and Grays. As
university chaplain, Donal spends much of his time mentoring students
and staff. Donal loves this aspect of his work and has reflected on the
task of a effective mentor, particular in relation to work with people
who are in some way marginalised such as those who are immigrant or
gay.”

The webpage goes on to describes the retreat program: “A retreat is a
safe place to open yourself to healing the wounds of the past and allow
new life and freedom to flood in. Feel nurtured by an accepting retreat
community; receive the healing love of God. Learn how to better use
your talents for the good. Donal and David (Father David Birchall, S.J.)
will lead the group through prayer, reflections, and sharing to help us
better understand and appropriate the inner liberation God desires for
each of us as children of God…..

By taking a look at the interaction between the individual
conscience and the teaching authority of the Church and Scripture we
shall consider how best we can live our call to exercise the freedom of
the Children of God. This will focus specifically on the area of
sexuality….Although both retreat leaders are Catholic priests, this
retreat is open to men of any Christian denomination or of no church
affiliation. We shall be dealing with issues of sexuality and
spirituality and so we are open to all regardless of sexual orientation.
However, a respect for difference is vital in a retreat that seeks to
be a safe place for all however you might describe your faith or
sexuality.”

Under the Making Friends section, the webpage says: “These retreats
in Calpe have been running for a number of years and have always been an
enjoyable experience with friendly and welcoming groups of people. We
have found that there has always been an openness and acceptance of
others. You can be yourself in the group sharing your faith and other
areas of life such as sexuality.”

There’s a lot of sexuality there. The retreat program also includes
“bodywork,” whatever that means. 2013 will not be the first year Father
Godfrey has led a retreat for the group in Spain. According to a
December 6, 2011 post on the British Quest Gay Catholic website Father David Birchall (who will assist Godfrey at the retreat) relates that
Father Godfrey led a similar retreat called Clear as your Conscience on
June 13-20, 2012. In the same post, Father Birchall also described the
retreat’s new Jesuit House location: “After a dalliance with a retreat
house in Mallorca run by nuns we have now taken residence in a sea-front
house which the group has to itself.” Sounds like the presence of nuns
cramped the retreatants’ style.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

"to find a way in which ordinary people could draw closer to Christ's
Heart even while immersed in their

everday activities. She had the
inspiration that each person, in whatever walk of life, could dedicate
one hour to the Sacred Heart of Jesus each day while engaged in their
regular duties. In this way ordinary actions could be sanctified and a
gift of love made to the Heart of Christ."

In 1948-9 Karl Rahner, S.J. returned to the theology faculty at Innsbruck and taught on a wide variety of topics which were to become the essays published in Schriften zur Theologie (Theological Investigations). The Investigations is not a systematic presentation of Rahner’s views, but, rather, is a diverse collection of essays on theological topics characterized by his probing, questioning search for truth.

Rahner was to develop difficulties with Rome. His outspoken, frank approach to issues and his creative, challenging and non-traditional approach to theology often got him into trouble with the authorities who tended to be more traditionally minded, especially on the issue of the "unchangeable" teachings of the Catholic Church.

In 1962, however, with no prior warning Rahner’s superiors in the Order told him that he was under Roman pre-censorship, which meant that he could not publish or lecture without prior permission. The basic objections of the Roman authorities focused, essentially, on Rahner’s views on the eucharist and Mariology.

Pope Francis met with the staff of the Jesuit journal La Civilta Cattolica on Friday morning, encouraging them“self-referential” Church. “Even the Church, when it becomes self-referential, gets sick and old,”
Pope Francis said. “May our gaze, well fixed upon Christ, always be
prophetic and dynamic towards the future. In this way you will always
remain young and daring in your reading of events!” La Civilta Cattolica, whose name means “Catholic civilization,” is a
primarily Italian-language review that has been published in Rome since
it was founded in 1850. The Pope told the review’s staff that dialogue means “being convinced
that the other has something good to say” and “making room for their
point of view” without falling into relativism.

Dialogue requires one to “lower the defenses and open the doors.”“Your fidelity to the Church still needs you to stand strong against the
hypocrisies that result from a closed and sick heart,” he told the
review’s staff. “But your main task isn’t to build walls but bridges. It
is to establish a dialogue with all persons, even those who don't share
the Christian faith but ‘who cultivate outstanding qualities of the
human spirit.’” He said dialogue should take place even with “those who oppress the Church and harass her in manifold ways.”“Through dialogue it is always possible to get closer to the truth, which is a gift of God, and to enrich one another,” he said.

He noted the example of Father Matteo Ricci, S.J., a pioneering
sixteenth-century Jesuit missionary who sought to present Christianity
in terms that Asian cultures would find more understandable and
accessible. The Pope praised the “Jesuit treasure” of spiritual discernment. He said
this discernment “seeks to recognize the Spirit of God’s presence in
human and cultural reality, the seed already planted by his presence in
events, feelings, desires, in the deep tensions of our hearts and in
social, cultural, and spiritual contexts.” Pope Francis said La Civilta Cattolica staff are called to help heal the
“rift” between the Gospel and the culture, “which even passes through
each of your and your readers’ hearts.”

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Theologians and others associated with Jesuit universities have joined
with the partisan group Faith in Public Life to defend Catholic grants
to grassroots organizing groups, despite concerns that some recipients
have undermined Catholic teaching. Faith in Public Life has issued a report lamenting
the declining support for the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). The report blames pro-life and other groups for
complaints that the grant program has supported groups directly or
indirectly opposed to Catholic teaching on abortion, marriage and other
issues. But Faith in Public Life has long been allied with Catholic and other
religious groups that oppose the Church on key public policy issues.
Launched by political activists following the defeat of pro-abortion
Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, the group encourages
support for Democrat policies among religious Americans.Thomas Chabolla, former associate director of the CCHD and now assistant to the president of the Service Employees International Union, serves on the board of Faith in Public Life. The author of the new CCHD report is John Gehring, a former media
relations officer for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Gehring
last year tried to convince news reporters that
the Catholic bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” was a partisan effort to
impact the 2012 presidential election. In fact, the Fortnight rallied
support for the religious freedom of Catholic colleges, hospitals and
other apostolates — and it will be repeated this month in a non-election year. Also last year, a group with apparent ties to Faith in Public Life attacked The Cardinal Newman Society as
“a powerful network of right-wing Catholics” when the Society opposed
Georgetown University’s invitation to Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a graduation speaker. In a post at
MoveOn.org, Michael Sherrard of “Faithful America” — who told donors to
send gifts to the mailing address of Faith in Public Life — also
complained of the Newman Society’s leadership in opposing the University
of Notre Dame’s commencement honors to President Barack Obama in 2009.

“It is not only that in generalized opinion these attacks tend no longer to be considered as “crimes”, paradoxically they assume the nature of “rights”, to the point that the State is called upon to give them legal recognition and to make them available through the free services of health care personnel. Such attacks strike human life at the time of its greatest frailty, when it lacks any means of self-defence. Even more serious is the fact that, most often, those attacks are carried out in the very heart of and with the complicity of the family—the family which by its nature is called to be the ‘sanctuary of life’” (no. 11). — John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, March 25, 1995. When one re-reads Blessed Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on life, he needs to keep these statistics in mind:

Since 1980, some 1,295,830,000 abortions were performed throughout the world. That is about one-seventh of the present world population. In this context, the famous phrase, “I feel lucky just to be alive!” takes on new meaning. The number of abortions per year in the world is between forty and fifty million. That is, in six or seven years, we kill roughly the population of the United States. Since Roe v. Wade (1973), some 56 million abortions took place in America.

Two sorts of reaction to such numbers occur. One is of horror and sadness that the human race, with so little stir, could allow and even approve this holocaust. The other is that this massive killing is what human beings “do,” so it must be all right, a part of their nature throughout the world. We have too many human beings for the planet to support anyhow. The sooner we rid ourselves of any notion that we cannot eliminate those unwanted elements in the human race politically judged to be unwanted or unnecessary the better.

Link (here) to the full article by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J, entitled, On the Dignity of Human Life

Jesuit Father Wilbert Mireh was ordained to the priesthood in Loikaw Cathedral in Myanmar in May, making him the first Myanmar-born Jesuit to be ordained since the Society of Jesus was approved 473 years ago. Twenty Jesuit priests were present for the ceremony, including Jesuit Father Wardi Saputra, Fr. Mireh’s novice master. “A long time ago the bishop [of Taunggyi, Fr. Matthias U. Shwe] kept asking me, ‘When will we have a Jesuit ordained in Myanmar?’” recalled Fr. Saputra, who came to Myanmar from Indonesia in 1998 to set up a novitiate. For Fr. Mireh, the moment of ordination was one of grace in which he felt the blessing of God. While aware of the responsibility that would come with being his country’s first Jesuit priest, Fr. Mireh said he felt tremendous support from those around him. “It’s a privilege, and a feeling of being ready to begin my ministry — I’ve been wanting to do this for so long. As a Jesuit, I am filled with the missionary spirit,” he said.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision of 1973, Catholics
and evangelicals in the United States "death
penalty" for the unborn. In 2005, he admonished his fellow believers in
Argentina to "defend the unborn against abortion even if they persecute
you, calumniate you, set traps for you, take you to court, or kill you.
No child should be deprived of the right to be born, the right to be
fed, the right to go to school." Likewise, Francis of Assisi was known
for his passion for spreading the Good News, once making a trip deep
into North Africa to declare Christ to a sultan. One of the great
challenges of Pope Francis will be to energize Catholic leaders for the
New Evangelization—to study the Scriptures, renew the disciplines of the
faith, and boldly proclaim the love of Christ. As important as
interfaith dialogue may be, real evangelization requires something more:
unambiguous witness for Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the
Life, the one and only Savior. The sex abuse scandals, by no means limited to the Catholic church, have
besmirched Christian witness in the 21st century. Both outside and
inside the church's walls, there is much that makes us wince and turn
away. But reform and renewal can come only as we face squarely the evil
within us and around us and seek the repentance that comes only as a
gift. I believe that Pope Francis, a Jesuit, would agree with the first
of Martin Luther's 95 Theses: "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ
said, 'Repent,' he willed for the entire life of believers to be one of
repentance."

have worked side by side to
advocate for the sanctity of life. The pro-life community will have a
strong ally in the new pope. He has referred to abortion as the

Link (here) to Christianity Today to read the entire article by Baptist Protestant Professor Timothy Georgeis dean of Beeson Divinity School, an
interdenominational, evangelical theological school within a Baptist
university (Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama), and an executive
editor of Christianity Today.

Every pope in the Catholic Church’s past has had a mastery over
Catholic rhetoric—the pope always says washing the feet
of young women incarcerated at a nearby prison. This was the first time
the pope has ever washed the feet of women—not to mention that one of
them was a Serbian Muslim, which is another break in papal tradition. This type of servant leadership is precisely what has connected the
new pope to our younger, more cynical generation. He is breaking the
rules in the right places: where they shouldn’t exist. As Pope Francis accepts his role, a new generation of evangelicals
accepts theirs. As young evangelicals have rejected the megachurch and
the televangelist and embraced a more rugged, grassroots Christianity,
these actions by the pope fit perfectly. He has refused to live in the
massive papal quarters in Rome and has chosen to live in the guesthouse,
instead. One of his first actions as pope was to cancel his newspaper
subscription at his home in Buenos Aires.

the right thing. But Pope Francis
has decided to lead with his actions.
Before delivering his message at the Holy Thursday Mass (an extremely
important mass in Catholic tradition), Pope Francis spent time on his
knees,

These
small things go beyond his radical, public acts of humility and reveal
his dedication to simplicity. Evangelicals have grown in their love of
the simple things. Public evangelicals like Shane Claiborne and David Platt have fascinated crowds and sold hundreds of thousands of copies of
books about these principles. As Pope Francis leads in simplicity and
continues to dedicate himself to living in this way, it will only
increase his popularity.

The pontiff’s simplicity carries over to his language, too. Catholics
have always had trouble connecting their message to young people. Many
who grew up in the Catholic Church struggled to connect with its liturgy
and message. To a newcomer, it’s often overwhelming.

But Pope Francis’ language is accessible and concise, which works
perfectly with the Twitter-speak of young Christians like me. His quotes
are simple and yet profound: “The Church is a love story, not an
institution” and “War is madness. It is the suicide of humanity.”

As
many reject the King James Bible and the complex, irrelevant theological
language of the past, they embrace the succinctness of Pope Francis’
words. It is important here to realize that the pope is popular with
evangelicals not because he’s doing what they already do, but rather
because he is doing what they are not doing but wish to begin doing. As I
scour the landscape of evangelical leadership (authors, speakers,
mega-church pastors), it is difficult to find a man like Francis.

In the
age of best-selling books and church auditoriums that rival arenas, we
do not see many leaders take the route of Pope Francis. And perhaps this
is why we enjoy him so much: He is leading us in a way we are not
leading ourselves right now. Pope Francis is popular not for what he does, but how he does it.
He’s popular not for what he says, but how he says it. These are
character issues we are seeing displayed; he is adopting an attitude,
not an office. I pray we would
not be afraid to be led by a servant like Pope Francis. For if we
cannot be led by a servant, how can we be led by Jesus?

I see Pope Francis respected because he reminds us of Jesus, which
unfortunately is a bit of a surprise when seen in public religious
leadership. He is a breath of fresh air. He did not see the office of
pope as something to be grasped, but instead made himself nothing,
taking on the very nature of a servant, which is an imitation of Jesus
Christ (Philippians 2:5-11).

This adoption of servanthood has turned
critics into followers. Because it’s difficult to be critical of someone
who serves the poor and spends time with the victims of the world’s
worst violences.Link (here) to the Protestant Relevant Magazine and readthe piece by Protestant pastor Chris Nye

A priest working in the devastated city of Homs in Syria has given an account of some of the horror he's facing every day. The priest, who cannot be named, sent a report to the charity Aid
to the Church in Need, which is supporting Syrians with an aid package
of £25,450 (€30,000) for a center in Homs, on top of £42,450 (€50,000)
given last year.

He goes on to give an account of the “many explosions” of the past
week in his quarter of Homs, one of which took place very near to his
church. The car bomb left 11 people dead, of whom five were his parishioners. An earlier explosion caused the death of a 10-year-old boy from the
Catholic community centre next to his church.

Three other children were
injured. In his report, the priest pays tribute to a Jesuit priest and 74
other Christians living in a “siege[–like] manner” in Homs' ancient Old
City, where many historic churches, mosques and other buildings lie in
ruins after fierce fighting.

Facing a shortage of food and medicine, the Jesuit and his flock rely on aid parcels being sent to them. Describing life for the Jesuit and his people, the priest writes that
people continue to cling to hope in spite of the difficulties. He said: “We have a great hope. Churches still ring bells for prayers and all people come and share Mass.” Quoting Pope Francis, he writes: “Nobody can steal our hope and joyfulness.”

The institution in question is a Jesuit preparatory school
in Cleveland, Ohio. I know very little about it (I'm told that tuition
is around $11,000 a year), but I see that the school's website features
the following quote:

"The purpose of
our education is to give a young man the tools whereby he can answer the
question What does God want from me?" -- Rev. Robert J. Welsh, S.J.,
'54

Very nice. But, having read the school's required summer reading list,
I wonder, "Does God really want teenagers to be reading books filled
with numerous vulgarities, sexually-explicit language and references,
and perspectives that are amoral and hedonistic?"

I spend hours in the bathroom with a magazine that has one thousand pictures of naked movie stars:

Naked woman + right hand = happy happy joy joy

Yep, that’s right, I admit that I masturbate.

I’m proud of it.

I’m good at it.

I’m ambidextrous.

If there were a Professional Masturbators League, I’d get drafted number one and make millions of dollars.

And maybe you’re thinking, “Well, you really shouldn’t be talking about masturbation in public.”

Well, tough, I’m going to talk about it because EVERYBODY does it. And EVERYBODY likes it.

And if God hadn’t wanted us to masturbate, then God wouldn’t have given us thumbs.

Yeah, yeah, I get it: this is real teen talk written to engage teens who live in the real
world and who want tough, straight, honest fiction that takes on
controversial and difficult topics. That's the usual line trotted out in
defense of such overrated pieces of fiction. Junior also expresses his
anger at God and Jesus (after the death of his grandmother's death) by doodling cartoons that
are stupid at best and certainly offensive. There is also the dubious
revelation that Indians, according to Junior, used to be supporters of
gay marriage--until their open-mindedness was corrupted:

My grandmother had no use for all the bay bashing and homophobia in the world, especially among other Indians.

"Jeez,"
she said. "Who cares if a man wants to marry another man? All I want to
know is who's going to pick up all the dirty socks?"

Of course,
ever since the white showed up and brought along their Christianity and
their fears of eccentricity, Indians have gradually lost all of their
tolerance.

If it was just one Catholic school, I might simply
say, "Unfortunately, there's usually going to be a bad apple in the
barrel." But Alexie's novel (based in large part on his own life)
appears on the reading lists of numerous Catholic schools across the
country. See for yourself.
Why? Is it because it won the 2007 National Book Award for Young
People's Literature? If so, then why not have the young teens read the
2004 winner, Godless,
by Pete Hautman, in which the the main character says, "Why mess around
with Catholicism when you can have your own customized religion? All
you need is a disciple or two...and a god.'" (To be fair, Hautman's book
is not, from what I can tell, actually antagonistic to religion; it
might even be quite the opposite.)

And what to make of the inclusion of The Privileges,
by Jonathan Dee? I read parts of it online, along with some reviews. It
appears to be both repulsive and forgettable, filled to the edges with
foul language and disagreeable characters, many of them seemingly hoping
to be in a Camus novel but lacking the depth or focus to make the cut. I
suppose it passes for what is now considered "sophisticated", what with
the "f" bombs and narcissistic chatter. Goodness.

Looking at the
summer book list for St. Ignatius High School, I noticed that none of
those required for English classes was written before 1970, and all but
one--The Hollow Hills, by Mary Stewart (1973)--were published
in the past eighteen years. Do schools even bother with the classics
anymore? Or has the push for being "relevant" gotten to the point that
any book written before iPhones existed is relegated to the outer
darkness?

Friday, June 14, 2013

Pope Francis has challenged his flock of 1 billion Catholics not to be “starched Christians” who chat about theology over tea. He’s been taking his own advice. Since his election in March, Francis has delivered sharp and
unscripted remarks on everything from homosexuality to atheism to his
unlikely election to the seat of St. Peter. Anyone who bet the 76-year-old Jesuit from Argentina would become
Supreme Pontiff likely won a lot of dough, Francis joked on Sunday. We’re wagering this pope’s got a few more surprises up the sleeves of his white cassock. Meanwhile, here are six eye-openers Francis has uttered thus far.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

At a Jesuit monastery in the heart of Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, a small group of dedicated workers are making dairy products from start to finish, not too different from how it was done hundreds of years ago. Every day at 6 a.m., cheesemakers in white lab coats and gloves start their work. Step by step – starting with the cows that graze on the farm – they make around 10 varieties of cheese, as well as yoghurt, butter and ice cream. The milk from the cows grazing just footsteps away is transported through pipes to large metal cooling tanks. It is then drained through bags until it reaches the right consistency, depending on the product.

“We’re well-known for our old ways,” says Rana Kadri, as she gives a tour of the facility. Each product is made in a different way to reach its final shape, she explains. Yogurt and strained yogurt – laban and labneh respectively – for example, are made at a higher temperature than the cheeses.

The Dutch-inspired hard Gouda cheese – far from a local product – is one of their main products, but for very Lebanon-specific reasons. With an aging time of up to three years, much longer than the softer dairy products, it can be stored for long periods without it going bad, an unfortunate consideration in the conflict-prone Bekaa Valley, where roads are sometimes blocked when tensions flare up. Despite the area’s reputation, there is a general feeling of pride in the rich agricultural traditions of the Bekaa Valley. Once known as the breadbasket of the Roman Empire, the area is today home to most of the country’s wineries as well as the source of a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Kadri, who has been working as the facility’s production manager for the past six months, had only recently finished college when she got the job offer to lead the artisan cheese operation in the idyllic setting of a farm in a monastery. Deir Taanayel stretches some 200 hectares and includes a stone church, a small lake and livestock including cows, goats and chickens.

A large garden that leads visitors to the entrance is something out of a rural travel book, with rows of picnic benches, bicycles for rent lined up along the main building, and a large cage with dozens of colorful exotic birds singing away. Families of stray cats have made the farm their home, having found a reliable source of food.

The monastery itself dates back to 1860, but the cheesemaking and the farm in its present form didn’t start until around 70 years ago, when the monks began the activity that would later inspire other Lebanese dairies to adopt the name Taanayel – a bittersweet result of their success. As the demand for the dairy products grew, so did their need to organize their work.

Four years ago, the monastery began a partnership with Arc en Ciel, a nearly 30-year-old Lebanese non-governmental organization that specializes in social and rural development. There are now 50 full- and part-time employees, and it remains a nonprofit operation.

Under the new management, the monastery has gone from a little-known spot to one of the must-see destinations for those visiting the area. In 2011, Deir Taanayel received a mere 15,000 visitors, while last year the number reached 80,000. This year they are expecting a total of 120,000.

“[Arc en Ciel] helped raise our standards. They run it like a business,” says Elia Ghorra, an agricultural engineer in charge of the production who began working at the monastery in 2005. “On Sundays you see all nationalities and religions having picnics here. It’s beautiful.”

The NGO has turned the nearby eco-lodge, a grouping of traditional mud houses as well as an adjacent restaurant that serves Taanayel cheese, into a youth hostel, offering a quaint place for visitors to spend the night when in the are

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

They appear to underscore numerous reports in the prelude to the election of the pope, that corruption, blackmail and violation of one of the highest codes of Catholic conduct were part of the intrigue that scandalized the Vatican in recent years. Francis, who portrays himself as a simple pope of the people, has made it clear that one of his highest priorities is to put the Vatican’s house in order. He has appointed a group of eight cardinals to advise him on how to overhaul the Vatican, and the head of the Vatican Bank has recently given a series of interviews to journalists — an openness unheard of under his predecessors.

“It’s pretty incredible that the pope said these things,” said Sandro Magister, a Vatican expert at the Italian weekly L’Espresso. “I don’t think there’s any doubt on the foundation of the phrases attributed to him. Otherwise they would have denied it.”

The pope made the remarks at the Vatican on June 6, while speaking to a meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Religious, the regional organization for priests and nuns of religious orders.

“In the Curia, there are also holy people, really, there are holy people. But there also is a stream of corruption, there is that as well, it is true,” he said in Spanish, according to a loose summary of the meeting posted on a Chilean Web site, Reflection and Liberation, and later translated into English by the blog Rorate Caeli. “The ‘gay lobby’ is mentioned, and it is true, it is there ... We need to see what we can do,” Francis continued, in the document, produced here verbatim.

On Tuesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, did not deny the reports of Francis’s remarks, saying only that he had no comment on a private meeting — a marked shift from past months, in which the Vatican vehemently called such reports “unverified, unverifiable or completely false.”

A priest who directs the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria, Egypt, blasted Western support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during a visit to Parliament Hill. Jesuit Father Henri Boulad, 82, a Melkite Catholic, singled out the United States, France and Great Britain for their support of the Islamist group, which he said has created a regime far worse than the military dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak that preceded it. He warned of looming catastrophe. “How democratic countries can support such movements is disgusting,” Father Boulad told a meeting of the Middle East Discussion Group at a luncheon hosted by Canadian Sen. Ann Cools. The Jesuit described Egypt as unstable and that the government is running out of money to provide basic services. Income from tourism has decreased because of strict restrictions on tourist activity and a dangerous lack of security, he said. Forces comprised of a wide array of thinkers, journalists, youth, Christians and a large number of Muslims who oppose the aims of the Muslim Brotherhood are rallying to challenge the regime, he said. “Grass-roots people are more and more convinced these people are liars,” Father Boulad said. Muslim opponents, he explained, “don’t want this kind of Islam.” “I am speaking up and saying ‘Don’t be intimidated by these people,’” he said. “Resist in the name of your principles.”

Father Boulad charged that the Muslim Brotherhood has a systematic plan to harass Christians so that they will leave Egypt and that among their tactics is the kidnapping and rape of Christian girls. The organization also invokes human rights to silence critics in France, Canada and elsewhere, using the courts against people who speak up, he said. The government cries “Islamophobia” and it “is politically incorrect to be an Islamophobe,” he said.

“The United States, France and Great Britain are supporting this. It’s crazy,” he added. “Intellectual and factual terrorism is being implemented not only in Egypt but all over the world. You cannot speak up. They go to court; they accuse you.” “As long as Islam is not reformed, we are going to catastrophe,” Father Boulad warned. Fortunately, he continued, some people have the courage to speak up. He said he hoped liberal democracies would support the growing coalition opposing the Egyptian ruling party.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

And, yes... it is difficult. In the Curia, there are also holy people, really, there are holy people. But there also is a stream of corruption, there is that as well, it is true... The "gay lobby" is mentioned, and it is true, it is there... We need to see what we can do... The reform of the Roman Curia is something that almost all Cardinals asked for in the Congregations preceding the Conclave. I also asked for it. I cannot promote the reform myself, these matters of administration... I am very disorganized, I have never been good at this. But the cardinals of the Commission will move it forward. There is Rodríguez Maradiaga, who is Latin American, who is in front of it, there is Errázuriz, they are very organized. The one from Munich is also very organized. They will move it forward. Pray for me... that I make mistakes the least possible...

Fr Paul Joseph Duffy S.J. Died peacefully at the Manresa Residence, Hawthorn, Melbourne, on June 4, 2013. Son of Francis and Frances (both dec.), brother of Desmond Duffy, Carmel Duffy, Norma Anderson and Frances Duffy (all dec.). Previous Provincial of the Australian Jesuits, University lecturer, Exec. Dir. Centre of the Study of Communications and Culture St Louis Uni.U.S.A., Writer and Pastor. His memory is treasured by his Jesuit Community, Parish and friends. Requiescat in Pace

Monday, June 10, 2013

The school is one of the educational environments in which we grow to
learn to live, to become adult and

mature men and women, capable of
walking, of going along the road of life. These were the words of Pope
Francis in an address to the numerous -- and enthusiastic -- students,
families, and teachers of Jesuit schools in Italy and Albania. The Pope
said the most important characteristics, according to the spirit of
Saint Ignatius, are interior freedom -- founded on spirituality -- and
magnanimity -- that is, having ideals, thinking of others, responding
with goodness, and following the path traced out by God. To the Jesuits,
Pope Francis said that the schools are a precious instrument.....

About Me

I am not a Jesuit, nor am I a cleric. I spent about 5 years under the spiritual direction of a Jesuit, 3 of those years in a weekly directed retreat in everyday life. The profound impact that the Society and the Excercises had upon my life, resulted in me, trying to deal with that impact in some way by sharing my view of Jesus Christ with others. My intention is to pull together Jesuitical and Catholic subjects that interest me. I was born on the feast day of St. Paul Miki, S.J.. I am the father of three small children and an infant, I am married to a great wife.